Kenneth Gordon Maplewood

Kenneth Gordon Maplewood 420 Seymour River Place North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V7H 1S8 604-985-5224 Visit Their Website

By the Numbers

Mission / Vision - In Their Words

Mission:

KGM school occupies a unique position among independent schools that specialize in teaching children with learning disabilities, being the first of its kind in Western Canada. With over 40 years of experience, we’ve determined that the following attributes are required of a potential student:

• Complete a current psycho-educational assessment which indicates a language-based learning disability
• Meet the Ministry of Education guidelines for designation of a learning disability
• Have average to superior intelligence
• Demonstrate that the primary impediments to the student’s learning process are learning differences. Any behavioral, physical or emotional issues must be of secondary concern

What We Found

Targeted Students: Notionally, the school accepts students with language based learning disabilities, including dyslexia - students with 'average to above average intelligence'. But some parents have expressed concerns that the school accepts students with autism spectrum disorders and more significant developmental issues.

Dyslexia Accommodation: Students receive daily individualized one-on-one tutoring sessions using the Orton-Gillingham approach to reading.

Teacher Training: All teaching staff and tutors are certified in the Orton-Gillingham method.

Student Teacher Ratio: 5:1, however most of the classes have a maximum of 15 students. Instruction and daily activities are conducted in small group settings with an approximate teacher to student ratio of 5:1.

Assistive Technology:  The website makes little note of assistive tech, but a video on the site reveals the use of sophisticated visual projection boards, classrooms full of Mac laptops and some tablets. 

Financial Support: The school claims to keep tuition significantly below the actual cost of or their program through a combination of government grants and fundraising.

No reference to direct financial support was found, but interestingly, parents are required to to make a volunteer commitment deposit of $400/year, fully refundable upon completion of 30 hours of volunteer work over the course of the year.

It's an innovative incentive based approach to encouraging parent volunteering, but we're not sure 13.33/hr will really motivate parents to navigate Vancouver traffic to earn their modest rebate.   

Reading Well Scorecard

Based on information available at the school's website we have scored the school in six areas of importance to prospective parents and students.

Important Notes

1) Given the limitations of information found on the school website, the scores may not accurately represent the school. Contact the school directly for more information. School administrators or informed parents and students are welcome to contact us with additional information and we will update the scorecard accordingly.

2) Scoring is based on specific dyslexic student needs, not on an absolute scale of school quality.

DRW Scoring Grid

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